What to lead is about
by Urutu Branco
Summary: A story that teaches a lesson about leadership, featuring Superman and Giffen's Justice League International.


It seems like one of those blockbuster movies, but this one's got two distinct points:

1) it stars Justice League International and

2) it's not cinema.

The League is there thanks to Maxwell Lord. The multimillionaire has always used his pull and wealth to set international status to the team. And he watches the Asian _tsunami_ tragedy as another timeliness to enhance that status.

As the Bug comes near some premises where past 100 people are stuck and at risk to die in the flood, Batman immediately starts to issue his orders:

- Blue Beetle, continue monitoring the Bug and wait for us. Booster Gold, I want you with me and Mr. Miracle helping to save the victims. Scott's escape talent is gonna be very useful. Green Lantern…

Guy Gardner awaits the command superciliously.

- …You oughtta prevent the water pressure upon us to reach critical levels.

- I can handle this whole mess hands down, Bats. Let me…

- You're gonna do what I'm telling you to do. – Batman concludes.

Guy Gardner defers the order scornfully. He manages to breach the deluged area to enable Batman, Booster Gold and Mr. Miracle's way and guarantee their entry in the facility. So, the three heroes enter their search for the Nature's hostages.

They thread swamped galleries with difficulty, but succeed in getting some victims thanks to Mr. Miracle's talents allied with Batman's intelligence and Booster Gold's superpowers. They find the people and route them to the Bug piecemeal.

Blue Beetle and Green Lantern follow up everything through the communicators: to the sound of hardware coming down, the exits have gone less convenient! Short-circuits threatens to electrocute the survivors, but Batman acts swiftly:

- Booster! Turn off the electricity!

- But I don't know where…

- Do it!

And Booster Gold dashes off with no quarter, ready to obey.

The risk of death raises the survivors' spirits as well as Batman and Mr. Miracle's troubles. Following the confused situation, especially since the lights go out – "he did it", Batman thinks – the heroes end up losing many of their rigs… including communicators.

Growing uneasy, Guy Gardner, clear of his leader's commands by now, resolves to enter the premises to light up their interior with his ring. Before the communication with Batman and Mr. Miracle broke down, he could hear that they were there in the dark, and Booster Gold sounds like he's having trouble to find his bearings since he separated from the party.

Blue Beetle, in turn, views from the Bug what his fellow is doing and decides that he must take part in this adventure too!

While Batman glimpses the green light at the end of the tunnel, he shouts:

- Gardner! I told you to stay outside taking care of the flood!

When the detective hears Blue Beetle's voice – requesting Green Lantern to hold on – being suddenly broken, he can't keep from regret.

Then, Blue Beetle's been carried off by the stream. Meanwhile he prays:

- If you there, please, rescue me…

He feels a powerful hand grabbing his uniform.

- …Superman?

The hero, counter sunshine, seems to be a heavenly being instead an alien. Some sort of a God-sent angel.

- You're gonna be safer here. – Superman says, subsequent to take Blue Beetle back to the Bug.

With his bare hands, the Man of Steel creates large openings in the facility's roof at impressive speed, permitting the light to enter. As he sees Booster Gold, he says:

- Run these people to the Bug through here!

The Man of Tomorrow resolves to create a vortex so as to carry off all that water, but he requests first:

- Guy, don't let any projectile slip off and hit anybody! If you don't promise me you're gonna keep your end up, I'm not gonna keep mine! Can I trust you?

- Sure, Big Blue! – Green Lantern talks back, almost saluting one of the few men he looks up to.

By now, Batman already knows what's happening. In spite of the help that fell from the sky, he's not pleased.

When everybody's scot-free, the gang decides to set out to another place in critical conditions. There's a lot of work to do. However, in the course of a time out between the recent task and the next one, Batman and Superman have an unobtrusive conversation:

- How do you do this, Clark?

- I thought you had already got the feel of my powers, Bruce…

- I don't mean your powers. I refer to make Guy Gardner and this teenager troop to listen to you.

- Oh, this! This is not above anyone's head: if you want someone to listen to you, you've got to speak.

- But I made my orders very clear.

- Bruce, a good leader is not a warlord, but you… You don't think this way. You're over-authoritarian. Everybody has to toe your lines and that's that. No contention. This is not how things work…

- Clark, you know these guys as well as I know…

- This is not about the Justice League, Bruce. Just ask your pupils in Gotham. You're rational and this is good. Keep feet on the ground is always good. But a good leader oughtta know how to speak to the heart. Your arguments must captivate it, make it want to follow them. They don't have to be an imposition.

After Superman left, Guy Gardner and Mr. Miracle question Batman about what his was taking up with the hero:

- Nothing important. – Batman responds, self-conscious. Thoughtful, he queries: Let's plot our next action plan?


End file.
